The Philadelphia Phillies led MLB in 2026 with an 84.7% stolen-base success rate. That lofty figure is made more vital by the Phillies' lackluster offense all year. As a club, they finished the season with a .312 OBP, which ranks 23rd in baseball. The Phillies made the most of their steals but let an opportunity slip by not taking the extra 90 feet more often.
It's impressive for a veteran-led club to be so successful on the basepaths, but their 105 total steals sat in the middle of the pack, ranking 15th in MLB. Bryson Stott led the ballclub with 27, followed by Trea Turner with 21, then rookie Justin Crawford with 17. Brandon Marsh was the only other Phillies player to reach double digits in steals with 11. The rest of the roster had 29 combined. If the Phillies can maintain their effectiveness, the top guys need to steal more at the expense of more outs.
The Phillies ran into 38 outs on the base paths last year, and that doesn't include time caught stealing, force outs, or pickoffs. So it might feel fair to push back on the assumption that the Phillies should be more aggressive overall. Nevertheless, that ranked as the eighth-fewest among all Major League clubs, and the team's 8.0 base-running runs above average were third-most in MLB.
The Phillies need to flex the stolen bases more to give this offense another lift
"I want a club that plays faster. I feel like we have speed that we don't use." - Don Mattingly
— Luke Arcaini (@ArcainiLuke) October 15, 2026
The Phillies attempted perfection on the timing of their steals this season, but manager Don Mattingly believes it's time to give the green light more often.
Crawford stole 46 bases in Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2025. If the Phillies are going to increase their aggressiveness, Crawford is the primary vehicle through which the team needs to act.
Stott's respectable stolen base total given his skillset was encouraging, but he went the whole year without being caught, 27-for-27. There's room for him to steal more and maintain and elite stolen base percentage.
Rather alarming, though, was Turner's downturn. He stole 15 fewer bases in 2026 than he did in 2025. He still ranks in the 98th percentile in sprint speed according to Baseball Savant, but the 12-year veteran will turn 34 next season. It wouldn't be a shock to see his stolen-base total regress. Perhaps his fall-off was due as much to his age as it was to his OBP falling by nearly 60 points.
The arrival of top prospect Aidan Miller should also make this conversation much more digestible. During his last full season in the minor leagues, Miller stole 59 bases at an 80 percent clip in just 116 games. There's an expectation that Miller will factor into the Phillies' plans in 2027 after a back injury kept him out for most of 2026. He could take over third base if the Phillies don't sign a replacement for Alec Bohm in free agency.
Mattingly has a strong argument; the Phillies have myriad areas through which they can improve their baserunning game. Most importantly, they need to start getting on base first.
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